Bart K. Palaszewski is a retired Polish-American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the UFC's Featherweight division. A professional competitor from 2002 until 2014, Palaszewski has also formerly competed for the WEC, the Quad Cities Silverbacks of the IFL, and King of the Cage.
Background
Palaszewski was born in Warsaw, Poland and lived there until he was 13 years old when he and his family immigrated to Wonder Lake, Illinois. In Poland, he was a "punching bag" for his older cousin who was involved in kickboxing, and Palaszewski also began judo when he was in the third grade. However, his coach became an Olympian and after Palaszewski was not happy with his old coach's replacement, he trained for six months in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai before being introduced to mixed martial arts. He trained whilst working as a photographer and graphic designer and holding other computer-related jobs. Then, after seeing his first MMA event at a show in McHenry, Illinois, Palaszewski was hooked. Although his official record indicates that he lost his first four professional fights, he claims that he had other wins professionally but only the four losses were documented when his coach sent in the results. Nevertheless, he then bounced back with eight consecutive victories.
In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, most WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Palaszewski was expected to face Cody McKenzie on May 28, 2011 at UFC 130. However, McKenzie was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Gleison Tibau. Palaszewski himself was forced from the Tibau bout with an injury and replaced by Rafaello Oliveira. Palaszewski returned to face Tyson Griffin in a featherweight bout on October 29, 2011 at UFC 137. Palaszewski won via first-round KO after dropping Griffin with a left hook and finishing the fight with a flurry of punches against the cage, earning Knockout of the Night honors. Palaszewski faced Hatsu Hioki on February 26, 2012 at UFC 144. Hioki defeated Palaszewski via unanimous decision. Palaszewski faced Diego Nunes on October 5, 2012 at UFC on FX 5., losing via unanimous decision. Despite the loss, he still earned the "Fight of the Night" bonus. Palaszewski faced Cole Miller on April 13, 2013 at. Palaszewski lost the fight via submission in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion. On February in 2014, Palaszewski announced his retirement from mixed martial arts competition.
Personal life
Palaszewski is divorced with two daughters. Palaszewski is currently engaged to Sarah Jane Fitzgibbons.
